The end of childhood. The beginning of legend.
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The Dawn of the Ceremony
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The sky broke in gold.
As if the heavens themselves parted to bear witness to a soul who had risen beyond the quiet miracle of survival… and become something the world would never forget.
The Sanctuary of Sixteen stood still.
At its heart, the once-untouched mosaic had been polished the night before—by Raelus himself, barefoot and humming as he scrubbed centuries-old stone with elemental water and a grin on his face.
"It's gotta look good, right?" he'd said. "Whole family's gonna be watching."
And now… they were.
All sixteen Divine Beasts.
Gathered in a wide ring around the sacred circle.
Each one silent.
Each one—aching.
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Raelus stood at the center.
Tall. Bare-chested save for the golden cloth tied loosely around his waist and falling to his knees. His snow-white hair had been freshly cut, his horns polished, his tail trailing behind him with calm weight.
The sun caught on his skin like it was made to reflect from him.
And for the first time in years…
He wasn't smiling.
He was still.
Not because he was afraid.
Not because he was sad.
But because he understood.
This was goodbye.
Not forever.
But… enough.
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Kael'sari was the first to step forward.
The Fire Huntress's massive feline frame padded across the mosaic, her ember-filled breath curling through the morning air.
She stopped before him, her molten-gold eyes locked to his.
"You were my cub," she said quietly. "I taught you to fall so you could rise. To burn so you could warm. To hunt so you could protect."
Raelus reached up and gently pressed his forehead to hers.
"And you made me fearless."
Kael'sari grumbled, her voice thick.
Then—from her own tail—she pulled a glowing cloak of woven flame-thread and obsidian silk.
"It resists fire, reflects it, and bends it to your command," she said. "Just like I taught you."
She placed it on the ground before him.
"You'll always smell like smoke to me," she added, with a crooked, watery grin.
She stepped back.
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Next came Sylvarion.
The Greenwood Colossus walked forward like a forest blooming in motion. His antlers were in full flower, petals drifting behind him like a gentle snowfall.
He lowered his head, and Raelus immediately hugged him around the neck—arms tight, cheek pressed to ancient bark.
"I still remember when you pulled your first root," Sylvarion whispered. "You cried because you didn't mean to break it."
"I remember," Raelus said. "And you told me… 'Even breaking has beauty, if it leads to growth.'"
From a pouch at his side, Sylvarion withdrew a bracelet—woven from living vines, stone dust, and glowing spiritwood.
"This will keep you grounded," he said, wrapping it around Raelus's wrist. "If you ever fall… the earth will catch you."
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Third was Mirelya.
The Sea Mother.
She rose from her basin in a tide of silver-blue, eyes shimmering like moonlit ocean.
She coiled around the edge of the circle and nuzzled Raelus gently, covering him in a sheen of water that instantly dried as steam.
"There were times where you would cry, but underwater you were silent," she said. "I knew then—you had the ocean's calm, not its rage."
Raelus kissed her snout.
"You were the first to sing to me."
She gave him a ring—a tear-shaped sapphire wrapped in coral.
"Drop it in any sea," she said. "And I will come."
"Even if you're angry?"
"Especially then."
She laughed. A bubbling, echoing thing. Then slithered back.
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Korr Wildmane came next.
Massive. Proud. Covered in scars.
He didn't say anything at first.
He just hugged Raelus.
With his forehead.
And then licked the side of his face.
"Okay—okay! I get it! You're proud!" Raelus laughed, wiping his cheek.
Korr chuckled.
"Taught you to wrestle. To bite. To hold the line. And never back down."
He dropped a leather satchel at Raelus's feet.
Inside was a pair of gauntlets—carved from the hide of a monster so strong its name had been forgotten.
"These catch swords," he said. "And fists. And lies."
Raelus saluted him.
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Gifts, Goodbyes, and Tears That Burn
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Durmund Stoneheart was next.
The earth-beast approached with slow, powerful steps, the weight of centuries in every motion. His stone-hide was carved with ancient dwarven runes, some pulsing gently with light. His eyes were harder to read than most—but today, they shimmered with something soft.
"You cried when I first made you lift a hammer," Durmund said, gruff but affectionate.
"It was so heavy," Raelus laughed.
"And now you're heavy," the beast replied, bumping him with a stone snout. "With strength. With legacy."
From beneath his armored chest, Durmund retrieved a small band—a ring forged from mountainheart metal, glowing faintly with heat.
"This ring will make any weapon feel like your own," he said. "Even ones that shouldn't be lifted by mortals. And whenever you had need to store something it will always have room"
Raelus slipped it onto his thumb and nodded solemnly.
"Thank you… Dad."
Durmund said nothing.
But a single tear cracked the stone of his cheek before he turned away.
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Xylara, Empress of the Swarm, glided next.
Her wings shimmered with colors that didn't exist in the normal spectrum—her scent a calming hum that made Raelus's body relax the moment she neared.
He grinned.
"You used to sting me when I was annoying."
"You're lucky I didn't sting your tail," she said softly.
They looked at each other seriously,then broke out into laughter, before smiling at one another.
Dozens of her spirit drones lifted into the air and descended on Raelus—not to swarm, but to weave. In seconds, a silver mesh scarf settled around his neck, warm and gently pulsing.
"This will mask your presence when needed," she whispered. "Or amplify it. Depending on how loud you want to be."
"I'm usually a 10 outta 10," Raelus winked.
"I raised a menace," she sighed with a smile.
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Then came Altairn.
The Sky Sovereign.
He landed with a rush of wind that ruffled every petal, spark, and hair in the sanctuary. His golden eyes stared down, massive wings folding behind him like draped starlight.
"You no longer need wings," Altairn said. "But you use them anyway."
"Because I love them!" Raelus grinned.
"They're fun."
"The sky is yours," Altairn said.
From his talon, he dropped a small feather—one made of condensed wind magic and celestial thread.
"Break this in your hand," he said, "and no cage, no chain, no barrier will hold you."
Raelus nodded. "I'll fly farther than any storm."
"And rise higher."
Altairn looked away quickly.
No one mentioned the tear that fell from the clouds above him.
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Xan'thuul appeared from the shadows next, his massive serpentine form gliding through dark mist. He didn't speak at first. He never needed to.
Raelus didn't flinch.
He walked forward and wrapped both arms around the dark beast's scaled face.
"You taught me how to disappear when I needed to," Raelus said quietly. "And how to come back louder."
Xan'thuul gave a sound like a low rumble—deep enough to shake bones, yet somehow… warm.
He lowered something to the ground—a necklace of woven shadow threads and onyx stones.
"You may lose hope," the beast finally said, voice like moonless sky. "But not yourself. This will keep your mind clear when the dark creeps in."
Raelus put it on.
"Thanks, Shadow Dad."
Xan'thuul blinked, then… smiled.
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Eiravelle descended in a shimmer of light and music, radiant as always.
She didn't speak at first, only held out a hand formed of starlight. A floating orb of crystallized illumination hovered above her palm and floated toward Raelus.
"This is a memory," she said softly. "Of every time you laughed under the stars. It will glow when you're near those who share that light."
Raelus blinked quickly. "So I can find the good people?"
"Or remind the broken ones… that goodness still exists."
He took it, held it to his heart.
"I'll be the light. Just like you."
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Then came Zarakul.
The Warden of Endings.
His skeletal frame towered silently over the ceremony, shrouded in silence and death's chill. Even the wind held its breath.
But Raelus… walked straight to him.
No fear. Only gratitude.
"You watched me sleep when I cried as a baby," Raelus said. "You thought I never knew. But I always felt it."
Zarakul did not reply.
But he reached out one long, bony finger… and touched Raelus gently on the chest.
A rune flared—black and gold—across Raelus's sternum.
"This will protect your soul," came Zarakul's voice, low and eternal. "Even when your body fails. When you are lost, this will guide you back."
Raelus bowed deeply.
"Thank you. For watching. For staying."
End of Chapter 10 " When The Sky Wept Stars" To be continued…